


フルーツループ

by Anonymous



Category: GOT7
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, Minor Coco (GOT7), Minor Jaebum/Jinyoung, Minor Kim Yugyeom, Minor Youngjae/Mark, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-23
Updated: 2016-05-23
Packaged: 2018-05-28 02:44:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6312289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"There's no cereal left," Jinyoung says, stalking over to loom over Jackson in his chair. Jackson, resigned to his early death, picks the spoon up from the table and lifts out a spoonful of fruit loops and milk from his cereal bowl.</p>
            </blockquote>





	フルーツループ

**Author's Note:**

> Written to Marina and the Diamonds [FROOT](https://open.spotify.com/album/3TGFADcugVPngfF7dtiqqY).

 

"Hey Jackson!" Jinyoung's voice is loud, emanating from the depths of the pantry, and Jackson hums noncommittally as he pours milk into his cereal bowl. It's not exactly early, but the sky is still pink, sharpening to red at the edges, and it matches the pink rings floating in the white milk, rising to gently bob at the rim of his bowl.

There's a thud, the sound of cardboard hitting the ground, and Jinyoung's face emerges from around the door frame. His hair is rumpled and his black plastic-rimmed glasses are askew. Jackson would laugh, if it wasn't too early to escape the wrath of Jinyoung's displeasure.

He's probably too late anyway, judging from the expression on Jinyoung's face.

"There's no cereal left," Jinyoung says, stalking over to loom over Jackson in his chair. Jackson, resigned to his early death, picks the spoon up from the table and lifts out a spoonful of fruit loops and milk from his cereal bowl.

"Fruit loops?" he says, just to hear Jinyoung snort in angry disbelief.

"I'm not eating that garbage," he says, and spins around to storm into his room. After several moments of muffled crashing, he emerges in jeans and a tee, wallet in hand.

"We need milk too," Jackson says, and Jinyoung just glares before heading out, the front door banging shut behind him. A gust of warm, sticky wind swirls into the room as he exits, and Jackson can already tell it's going to be a scorcher.

He glances down at the surface of his cereal, brightly coloured fruit loops softening into radioactive mush.

 _You're such a fruit loop, Jackson,_ he tells himself, before grinning, just a little, at nothing in particular.

 

"Sorry," Mark says as Jackson walks in. The air is already muggy outside, breathing feels like trying to extract air from molasses, and it's not even 9:30 AM. Inside, it's even worse. "Air-conditioner broke. Repairmen are booked till next week. Meant to call you but—" he waves his hand at the stack of papers, fluttering faintly in the breeze from a tiny fan.

"Repair woman," Jackson corrects, old habit, and then takes a second look at the papers. "Come on Mark, you can't seriously think you're going to stay here all day in this weather." Mark glances up, startled out of his concentration on a drawing. It looks like some kind of complicated tattoo, but Jackson's hand on his shoulder brooks no argument.

"But—" Mark starts to protest.

"But ice cream," Jackson says, letting his fingers slip off of Mark's shoulder as he steps back over to the employee entrance and holds it open. Even the faint breeze from outside is a relief. Mark frowns and Jackson imitates the expression in a ridiculous facsimile of displeasure, until Mark can't help but crack a grin.

"Okay fine," he says, "but I have to take some of this home with me." Jackson shrugs, _a compromise is a compromise_ , and waits for Mark to sweep some of the stack into a messenger bag waiting on a chair.

 

The tube is full of sweaty people, everyone jostling each other, trying to get closer to the vents in search of the cold air from a ventilation system that can't keep up with the combination of hot weather and too many bodies. Jackson wrinkles his nose.

"We should have just called a cab," he complains for what's definitely not the first time; Mark just ignores him. He's tapping away on the screen of his phone, probably playing some game, so Jackson is surprised when he lifts his head to give Jackson an inscrutable expression.

"Jinyoung says you're dead," Mark says, and Jackson groans into his arm, stretched up to hold onto one of the grips hanging from the ceiling.

"There were still fruit loops," he says, deciding to ignore the milk issue, and Mark laughs.

Their stop is called and they elbow their way through the crowd, dodging other elbows and finally emerging on the sidewalk beneath a sun already too hot for comfort. Mark laughs at Jackson's expression, and they duck beneath the awnings of the shops as they make their way to Angelo's—

"You said ice cream," Mark says, expression noncommittal though his eyes are already darting over the myriad of gelato flavours in the glass-topped display freezers. The cool air feels beautiful on his skin, and Jackson is so lost in debating between mango and lemon that the sudden weight on his back takes him completely by surprise—

"What the—" Jackson sputters, rearing back as Mark laughs somewhere to his right and then there's a familiar voice giggling in his ear. "BamBam!" he exclaims, trying to catch his breath around his heart pounding beneath his ribs.

"I stopped by the shop but you weren't there," BamBam says, slipping off Jackson's back to land at his side, pressing his nose to the glass display case. "You can get me strawberry."

"Get it for yourself," Jackson says, but they both know he's lying, wallet already in hand as he gives the smiling Mr Angelo their orders, Mark adding a passion fruit before Jackson hands over his card.

"Why were you at the shop anyway?" he asks, and BamBam rolls his eyes.

"I want that tattoo," he says, not even batting an eyelash as Jackson opens his mouth to interject—

"Absolutely not!" Jackson rolls his eyes right back at BamBam, who scowls, taking an angry bite of gelato as Mr Angelo hands the three servings over the counter.

"Mark—" BamBam begins, but Mark just shrugs. It's almost comforting, this old routine, and Jackson isn't surprised when BamBam is already brushing up alongside him as they walk the few blocks to the park. Jackson hums, noting that BamBam's shoelace is trailing, and hands his mango gelato over to Mark under the shade of the trees as he bends down to tie BamBam's shoelace.

"You're like my mom," BamBam laughs, and Jackson takes an extra large bite of gelato to keep the words from spilling out of his mouth. Mark eyes him from the other side of the path, but Jackson ignores him. He swallows the flutter in his chest, just another bite of cereal. Soggy fruit loops.

 

BamBam's phone goes off as they're finishing their gelatos, tossing the paper cups and small plastic spoons into the recycling bins filled with the remnants of more mid-summer sweets because everyone's trying to beat the heat. Jackson's eyes flick up to BamBam's animated expression, then dart away.

There's a familiar figure approaching from down the bath, beneath the poplars waving in the sticky breeze; BamBam shouts goodbye and something about Yugyeom and a movie as Youngjae comes into view, walking Coco who's somehow still crisp and white, even in the heat.

"You should say something," Youngjae says, watching as BamBam recedes down the path. Jackson huffs.

"He doesn't—"

Coco interrupts with a single sharp bark, as though to say, "Stop lying," and Jackson's protest turns into laughter as he leans down to pet the small dog.

"I raised you well," Youngjae says, grinning as he hands the leash to Mark. "I need to go to the library," he says, and Mark nods. "I'll be back for supper," Youngjae adds, and he doesn't kiss Mark but the way his hand lingers on Mark's shoulder is somehow closer than a kiss.

Jackson swallows, pretends he isn't jealous. When he stands after chucking Coco under the chin one last time, Mark just lifts one eyebrow.

 

Jaebum is just walking up to the flat when Jackson gets home, and glances at Jackson before he presses the call button for the lift.

"Am I still dead?" Jackson asks. Jaebum shrugs.

"Give me five to distract him, just in case," he says, and Jackson spies the white box tucked beneath one of Jaebum's arms.

"Cupcakes?" he asks, mouth already watering, and Jaebum nods. The air is cooler in the lobby, and the lift almost chilly as they step into the mirrored space. Jackson can feel the sweat trails drying on his skin, even though he hosed down after the hour he spent at the gym, and he can't wait to jump in the shower again.

Jaebum gets off at their floor, and Jackson rides the lift all the way to the top and then down to the lobby for good measure before deciding to take the stairs, just in case Jinyoung is a little too excited about the cupcakes. He still remembers the incident with the powdered sugar covered jelly doughnuts and—yeah.

The stairwell isn't as cool as the lift and he's working up a good sweat, almost at his floor when his phone buzzes in the pocket of his shorts.

It's a message from Yugyeom, a smiley face, and Jackson is blinking at it when BamBam's name flashes on the screen. Incoming call.

"Hi?" he says, accepting the call. "Aren't you—there was—a movie?" BamBam doesn't usually call him.

"You're such a jerk," BamBam says, and his voice sounds wobbly—Jackson swallows.

"Are you drunk?" he asks, ready to message Yugyeom and ask him what the hell is going on, when BamBam answers.

"No," he says, then hiccoughs and corrects himself. "Well, maybe just a little." There's a pause then, Jackson trying to figure out what's going on. What he's done.

"I'm sorry?" he finally says, not really sure what he's apologizing for, and unprepared for the sound of BamBam's laughter, slightly off-kilter.

"Do you like me?" BamBam asks, and Jackson is so surprised he looses his grip on the stair rail, staggering down a step to lean against the wall.

"I—what?" he says, because he never saw this coming. Isn't prepared—

"Oh," BamBam says, and his voice is quieter now, subdued, and Jackson knows he's done that. "I guess I was—sorry—"

And Jackson's mouth is speaking before he even has time to register the words, "—no wait!" he blurts out, "I'm sorry—I just—you caught me off guard—but yes—"

"Yes?" BamBam exhales, voice giddy.

"Yes," Jackson repeats, sinking breathlessly to sit on the steps.

"Okay then," BamBam says, and even across the line Jackson can hear the smile in his voice, can feel his face echoing the expression.

"Okay," he echoes.

"I'll see you—tomorrow?" BamBam asks.

"Yes," Jackson replies, and the silence is comfortable now, before the call ends. His phone buzzes again, another message from Yugyeom, another smiley face. Jackson rolls his eyes, taking a deep breath before he starts up the stairs again.

There's no one in the kitchen when he lets himself into the flat, just muffled sounds from down the hall and Jackson doesn't even care, suddenly hungry even though he's still sticky. The box of Fruit Loops is still on the kitchen table and he pours himself a bowl, opens a new carton of milk from the fridge.

The sugary cereal crunches in his mouth.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to write about Mysterious Skin, but in the end I couldn't, so I'm sorry about that but at the same time I'm not. I hope this is nice anyway!


End file.
